Is this guy really worth it?
I think Peter Sagal host of NPR's "Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me!" described John Bolton nomination as US Ambassador to the UN the best: "Extending our hand to the world in friendship... with the middle finger extended!"
I'm sorry, but what does President Bush see in this guy? He's a nut job!
This is a guy who has stated publicly that he positively HATES the UN! He thinks the organization is worthless, and shouldn't even exist! So let's send him up there to represent the US... Sure makes sense... NOT!
I know the President has said that the UN needs to be reformed and that he feels John Bolton is the right man for the job. Umm isn't the UN supposed to be about the nations of the world working together to improve the world? From what I've heard about Mr. Bolton, he's going to head up to the UN Building, kick down a few doors and bash some heads together to get what he wants! Quick warning for Mr. Bolton... I've been to the UN, the offices there have some pretty heavy doors. You might hurt your foot trying to kick them down...
We keep hearing from the administration that the UN needs to be reformed, but have we heard from them just what they want to reform there? I know, the Oil For Food Program was a joke, it was corrupt and everybody but the average Iraqi benefitted from it. But... it's over! Second, why didn't we look into Oil For Food when it was running? The only other thing I can think of is that after the UN wanted no part of our action in Iraq, the Adminstration is going to try and find some way to turn the organization into the rubber stamp for US actions.
But let's look at Mr. Bolton for a second... We've heard a lot about his management style lately. One Senator even called him a "kick down, kiss up kind of guy," in reality should the fact that somebody is abrasive and a crummy manager necessarily be a reason for them to be disqualified from a job... Well, ok maybe it should be, but I think there are bigger problems here, and it's those problems that need to be addressed. Those are the problems that should be the disqualifiying factors in my mind, not his shoddy leadership skills.
As mentioned above, Mr. Bolton has sharply criticized he UN in general in the past, including questioning whether it should even continue to exist. Strike 1. He's made allegations based on poorly interpreted or non-existant data that Cuba was persuing a biological weapons program, and tried to bully CIA analysts into supporting him. Strike 2. Couple those with his shoddy interpersonal skills and you have Strike three.
I'm no expert on foreign policy, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express once... Seriously though US Foreign Policy, especially in the UN seems to get implemented faster and with a minimal amount of fuss when we work WITH other nations to get the job done. But wait you say, what about North Korea, we're trying to work with 5 other nations there and nothing's happened. Correct, except that the North Koreans only want to deal with us and of the other 4 nations involved in the negotiations, only the South Korean's really want to be involved in the first place.
From the way I see it, the US isn't going to be able to dictate our foreign policy demands to the world much longer. We need somebody who's willing to work with both our allies and others on the world stage to reform the UN and get things done... John Bolton isn't that guy...
The person I think would be great for the job... Colin Powell! He has experience on the international stage, despite what happened leading up to Iraq he's still well respected around the world... He's a perfect fit for this administration... Of course, it would be a demotion for him considering his last position, but still...
I'm sorry, but what does President Bush see in this guy? He's a nut job!
This is a guy who has stated publicly that he positively HATES the UN! He thinks the organization is worthless, and shouldn't even exist! So let's send him up there to represent the US... Sure makes sense... NOT!
I know the President has said that the UN needs to be reformed and that he feels John Bolton is the right man for the job. Umm isn't the UN supposed to be about the nations of the world working together to improve the world? From what I've heard about Mr. Bolton, he's going to head up to the UN Building, kick down a few doors and bash some heads together to get what he wants! Quick warning for Mr. Bolton... I've been to the UN, the offices there have some pretty heavy doors. You might hurt your foot trying to kick them down...
We keep hearing from the administration that the UN needs to be reformed, but have we heard from them just what they want to reform there? I know, the Oil For Food Program was a joke, it was corrupt and everybody but the average Iraqi benefitted from it. But... it's over! Second, why didn't we look into Oil For Food when it was running? The only other thing I can think of is that after the UN wanted no part of our action in Iraq, the Adminstration is going to try and find some way to turn the organization into the rubber stamp for US actions.
But let's look at Mr. Bolton for a second... We've heard a lot about his management style lately. One Senator even called him a "kick down, kiss up kind of guy," in reality should the fact that somebody is abrasive and a crummy manager necessarily be a reason for them to be disqualified from a job... Well, ok maybe it should be, but I think there are bigger problems here, and it's those problems that need to be addressed. Those are the problems that should be the disqualifiying factors in my mind, not his shoddy leadership skills.
As mentioned above, Mr. Bolton has sharply criticized he UN in general in the past, including questioning whether it should even continue to exist. Strike 1. He's made allegations based on poorly interpreted or non-existant data that Cuba was persuing a biological weapons program, and tried to bully CIA analysts into supporting him. Strike 2. Couple those with his shoddy interpersonal skills and you have Strike three.
I'm no expert on foreign policy, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express once... Seriously though US Foreign Policy, especially in the UN seems to get implemented faster and with a minimal amount of fuss when we work WITH other nations to get the job done. But wait you say, what about North Korea, we're trying to work with 5 other nations there and nothing's happened. Correct, except that the North Koreans only want to deal with us and of the other 4 nations involved in the negotiations, only the South Korean's really want to be involved in the first place.
From the way I see it, the US isn't going to be able to dictate our foreign policy demands to the world much longer. We need somebody who's willing to work with both our allies and others on the world stage to reform the UN and get things done... John Bolton isn't that guy...
The person I think would be great for the job... Colin Powell! He has experience on the international stage, despite what happened leading up to Iraq he's still well respected around the world... He's a perfect fit for this administration... Of course, it would be a demotion for him considering his last position, but still...
posted by Michael @ 11:57 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home